Who are the top recycling nations in the world and what makes them so effective?

10

Jan2019

In any industry, it is essential to learn from the very best and see how they stay on top of their game. ReGen considered the above question, and as we approach the end of 2018, it seemed important to learn from the best recycling nations. To do so, we scanned resources from governments and authoritative bodies to identify numbers and methods that define the top recycling countries. So, join us as we explore the top recycling nations and the techniques that make them successful. These rankings are courtesy of Eunomia.

#5 - Switzerland

Switzerland is fifth according to the rankings; however, its attitude and optimism towards recycling are unrivalled. The Swiss government have gone as far as adopting the mantra, 'The Swiss are World Champions of Recycling' when promoting the country abroad. While it may seem unfounded given that they are fifth in this chart, many experts do point out that recycling is measured differently by different governments.

Wales' policy driven recycling has yielded massive progress in their recycling rates and global ranking. In 20 years, their recycling rate has gone from under 5% to almost 64%, in the process they have scaled the charts, overtaking local neighbours in the process. Globally, they reached second place in domestic recycling a few years ago and are expected to pass Germany as the no.1 recycling nation.

South Korea and Singapore are the only nations in the top 10 recycling countries that are not in Europe.

#2 - Austria

Daubed the waste paper champions in 2014, Austria has consistently outperformed other EU nations in the recycling stakes. Since the 1980's they have been separating recyclable waste and non-recyclable waste. The wase that can't be recycled is used to power one of Europe's major capitals, Vienna, through another successful WtE scheme.

A recycling stalwart and with a population who have embraced the green economy for decades. Innovations in how Germans have handled waste have helped them move ahead of other nations, their 15-year-old bottle return system was only trialled this year in the UK. Recycling rates for MSW in Germany are reported to be as high as 56%, even higher according to some reports.